What do you need to make a special Arancina di riso?

2017-08-16 Arancina di riso is a typical Sicilian street food . They are mini timbales of rice, fried and stuffed, shaped like little oranges, ideal for a quick snack or aperitif.
They are classic treats from the fried food stores of the islands and can be found invarious shapes and sizes – big and small, spherical, elongated like croquettes or conical, – and with a range of fillings: with tomato ragout, with ham and mozzarella or ham and peas, with spinach and ricotta or with scamorza cheese and tomato.
Today’s recipe is a special one: Arancina di riso with red mullet and wild fennel ragout . It is by Pino Cuttaia, the two Michelin-starred chef and owner of the restaurant “La Madia” in Licata, in the province of Agrigento.
It is a dish that fully expresses the concept of sustainable cuisine. Cuisine that is in love with Sicily, which the chef reinterprets while respecting the ingredients and with a deep understanding of his craft and his land. He focuses on the seasonal availability of ingredients and the simplicity of a dish that was once made at home, to bring warmth and tradition to every recipe.
Here are the ingredients for four portionsof this tasty first course, which can be made all year round.
For the arancina:
• ½ an onion;
• 1 litre of water;
• 3 packets of saffron;
• 500 g rice;
• 60 g bread crumbs;
• salt and black pepper.
For the red mullet ragout:
• 500 g red mullet;
• ½ onion;
• extra virgin olive oil;
• 30 g raisins;
• 30 g pine nuts;
• 3 g wild fennel;
• 1 g saffron;
• salt and black pepper.
For the fennel sauce:
• 50 g fennel;
• 120 g tomato sauce;
• salt and black pepper.
In the next post we’ll see how to make this recipe by Pino Cuttaia.

Mariagrazia Villa

Recipe: Chef Pino Cuttaia (“La Madia”, Licata, Agrigento).
Recipe source: Luciano Tona, Arturo Delle Donne and Andrea Sinigaglia (editor), Gusto Italiano. Cucina contemporanea dei maestri Alma, Edizioni Plan, Milan, 2012.
Dish photo: © Arturo Delle Donne.